"6.8% Salary Increase, Parental Leave Allowance Up to 2.5 Million Won per Month"... Public Officials Wanted to Believe, But Ultimately

"6.8% Salary Increase for Junior Public Officials"... Fake Document Deceives Public Officials
Cyber Safety Center: "Training Document Created Arbitrarily"

'6.8% Salary Increase for Junior Public Officials, Parental Leave Allowance Raised to a Maximum of 2.5 Million Won per Month'

An official document stating that public officials' salaries and allowances would be significantly increased starting next year spread online, causing confusion. Although the document closely resembled an actual government document in format, it was confirmed to be a 'fake document' created for training purposes.

"6.8% Salary Increase for Junior Public Officials"... The Fake Document That Fooled Public Employees

An official document stating that public officials' salaries and allowances will be significantly increased starting next year spread online, causing confusion. The photo is related material to help understand the article. National Federation of City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Unions.

According to the Ministry of Personnel Management and the Seoul Cyber Safety Center on August 20, a fake document in the form of an official letter from the Ministry of Personnel Management was recently circulated online. The document stated that the basic salary increase rate for public officials next year would be 2.7%, and that public officials with less than five years of service would receive an additional 4.1% on top of the standard increase, resulting in a total salary increase of 6.8% for junior officials.

In addition, the document claimed that the maximum parental leave allowance would be raised from 1.5 million won to 2.5 million won per month, and the payment period would be extended to 18 months. It also specified that the risk work allowance for special positions such as police and firefighters would be increased from 60,000 won to 70,000 won per month, and a new 'civil complaint work allowance' of 30,000 won per month would be introduced for officials handling civil complaints. The overtime allowance reduction rate would be adjusted from 55% to 60%, and the fixed meal allowance would be raised by 20,000 won, from 140,000 won to 160,000 won.

Cyber Safety Center: "Training Document Created Arbitrarily"

Part of the 'Training Official Document' created by the Seoul Cyber Safety Center during a training course to prevent email hacking. Seoul Cyber Safety Center

However, it was found that this was a 'training document' created by the Seoul Cyber Safety Center during a training course to prevent email hacking. The document, which was arbitrarily created for training purposes, was leaked externally and spread online as if it were an official document from the Ministry of Personnel Management. A representative from the Cyber Safety Center stated, "This is not a finalized policy from the Ministry of Personnel Management, but merely a training document created for internal use," adding, "It was distributed for training purposes, but we believe it was leaked externally." The Ministry of Personnel Management has requested the Seoul city government to investigate how the document was leaked and spread online.

Meanwhile, the issue of low compensation in the public sector has long been a source of ongoing dissatisfaction. According to a 'Research Survey on the Employment and Living Conditions of City, County, and District Public Officials' conducted by the National Federation of City, County, and District Public Officials Labor Unions with 1,924 respondents nationwide, 64.7% of respondents said they were considering leaving their jobs due to 'low wages.' In a 'Survey on Organizational Culture Perceptions in the Public Sector for Junior Officials' released by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, 7 out of 10 junior public officials (68.2%) said they were considering leaving the public sector due to 'low compensation' and 'difficult civil complaints.'

In response, the Ministry of Personnel Management is currently finalizing decisions regarding public official wage increases. The Public Officials Remuneration Committee (PORC) under the Ministry, which reviews and approves next year's public official salary levels, decided on July 21 to set the 2026 salary increase rate at 2.7% to 2.9%. To improve conditions for junior officials, PORC decided to raise the starting salary for Grade 9, Step 1 (entry-level) public officials by an additional 150,000 won compared to this year. In addition, the supplementary allowance for officials at Grade 6 and below will be increased by 25,000 won each, and the fixed meal allowance will be raised by 20,000 won from 140,000 won to 160,000 won. The overtime allowance reduction rate will be increased from the current 55% to 60%, and this adjustment will be gradually applied to all ranks.